A test by fire for Akhilesh Yadav

New Delhi, Jan. 16 -- A saying goes in the Hindi belt: Jab pita ke joote mein bete ke paanv samane lagein, toh use apne pair vapas kheench lainen chahiye (When a son begins to fill his father's shoes, the father should withdraw his feet.)
Have the elders of Samajwadi Party forgotten this? The manner in which the members of a high-profile family are fighting each other gives rise to questions on whether their personal ambitions are dearer to them than the electoral fortunes of their party.
You may recall that even at the time Akhilesh Yadav assumed power, Ramgopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav were in rival political camps. Ramgopal isn't Akhilesh's real uncle, but by declaring on television that he would be happy if Akhilesh became chief minister, he had made his political affiliations clear.
In response, his uncle Shivpal, the real brother of Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav, had said that MLAs will decide on who becomes the chief minister. Political pundits had predicted at that time that the extended Samajwadi clan would not stay united for long.
The real test was for Mulayam Singh.
He was the undisputed chief of the party. His writ ran as the party's command. The next generation from his family had stepped into politics, but it was seen only as a byproduct of his patronage. That's why Akhilesh faced a lot of turbulence in the initial phase of his chief ministerial tenure. The government machinery had an army of people faithful to his father and uncle, who had been appointed at the behest of their political masters.
The young office-bearer's greatest challenge: Those officers, reappointed to plum posts for another term, were not ready to listen to him. The council of ministers that Akhilesh was heading wasn't any different. MLAs with criminal antecedents were equally obdurate. Periodically, they got into law and order problems that tarnished the image of the government. Most people in the party organisation were loyalists of Shivpal Yadav.
Everybody had their own selfish agendas.
Akhilesh's difficulties did not end here. The loyalists often complained to Mulayam about him and he was routinely reprimanded in public. In times when Indian family values have evolved, Akhilesh merely smiled even after being publicly rebuked, conforming to the image of the ideal son as envisioned by the old-timers of the state. The emotional people of Uttar Pradesh applauded Akhilesh as the ideal son, but this tag was proving to be harmful for his political career. Even his rivals mocked him as 'half-chief minister.' At the same time, voters' expectations from Akhilesh had gone through the roof. So he moved away from family feuds and devoted himself to development projects. Today, Uttar Pradesh is the only state in India with a metro in three districts. His government completed the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in record time.
He also understood that just building roads, metros and providing more than 20-hour power supply wasn't enough. He gave away computers to youngsters, worked for women's empowerment and distributed thalis to poor kids who were the recipients of mid-day meals.
To counter allegations of lawlessness, he set up state-of-the-art control rooms, patrol vehicles and a computerised helpline for women. In this manner, with great astuteness, Akhilesh went beyond the politics of religion and caste in his attempt to create a new vote-bank. As a result, today, even when he speaks in rebellious tones, instead of seeing him as the disobedient son, people are ready to stand with him. For the same reason, he finds most of his party ministers and MLAs in his camp.
With all this going for him, will Akhilesh be able to withstand the trial by fire in 2017? He is facing the BJP led by Narendra Modi. Also, the team of Amit Shah and Om Mathur has created a new vote bank of the extremely backward for the saffron party. Then there is traditional foe Mayawati. She doesn't speak much but keeps preparing for elections round the clock. This time, she is eyeing the SP's Muslim vote bank.
Most surveys indicate that Akhilesh is the first choice of SP voters but in case Mulayam campaigns against his own son, it may weaken the SP's traditional Muslim-Yadav coalition.
Then the split won't just be of votes, but the party flag, office, property and the sentiments of supporters. As in cricket as well as politics, the value of runs or votes lost is always greater than votes won. The support of the Congress and other regional parties can help Akhilesh regain lost ground and keep the Muslims voter united.
The political grapevine is abuzz that Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi have reached an agreement and it will be revealed any moment. It is also being said that the Rashtriya Lok Dal will be part of this coalition. Some claim that Priyanka Gandhi and Dimple Yadav will campaign together. The truth isn't clear to anyone. But one thing is certain. If the coalition is not formed immediately, then its influence will keep diminishing. In politics, delayed decisions can prove to be really costly.